Weft detector controlled by pattern mechanism



Aug. l23, 1927. l

1,639,824 w. H. wAKEr-'IELD l WEFT DETECTOR CONTROLLED BY PATTERN MECHANISM Aug. 23,1927.` 1,639,824

f W. H. WAKEFIELD wEFT DETECTOR coNTRoLLED Br-PATTERN MECHANISM Filed March 1.9. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CTI ' yarn on all Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

UNITED` STATES 1,639,824 PATENT OFFICE.-

"WALTER H. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, `iSiSSIGrNOR T CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Y WEFT DETECTOR CONTROLLED BY PATTERN MECHANISM. A

Application filed March 19, 1925. VSerial No. 16,780.

This invention relates to improvements in weft detecto-rs for drop box looms and more particularly to the type of detector which is rendered more sensitive when cooperating with fine yarn than when cooperating` with coarse yarn.

In box looms where two or more shuttles are employed it is occasionally desirable to supply one of the shuttles with very fine yarn to weave a fancy stripe and to supply the other shuttles with relatively coarse yarn. Under such conditions a detector of the usual typeV capable of but one adjustment is not well suited to detect the condition of the bobbins inasmuch as it would leave too much fine yarnl at 'the time of indication of weft exhaustion if it were set so as to prevent complete exhaustion of the coarse yarn. In order to render the detector variably'sensitive I have provided means for changing the'adjustment of the detecting parts to the end that the adjustments may be finer for line yarn than is the case with the coarse yarn. When applying this principle to detectors of the type having a yarn impinging member and a lay actuated member it is desirable that the change in adjust-ment take place before the lay actuated member is engaged by the controlling portion of the lay.

In my co-pending applications Serial No. 758,905 and No. 13,585 I have shown a detector of the type specified having a detector member to be engaged by av variable member carried on the lay. In the operation of this type of detector the lay actuated member is engaged on each forward beat of the lay whether the shuttle be on ,the detector side of the loom or on the box side of the loom and it is also true in drop box looms that the boxes change in theinterval between protection and picking so that they are in motion when the lay is in its forward position. This change occurs while the lay actuated part of the detector is in engagement with the controllerv on the lay. This is an undesirable condition inasmuch as undue wearing results and in order to overcome this defect I have provided meehanism wherebythe indication vfor the layV carried cont-rollerv for the lay actuated member ofthe detector is actuated inadvance of the movement of the boxes so that the controlling member on the lay vmov-es to lits new position before coming incontact with the detector.

' With the general object therefor of preventing movement of the detector controller at the time when the same is engaged by the lay actuated member, and other objects which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement Vof parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In theaccompanying drawings wherein I have shown a convenient embodiment of my invention, 1 Fig. 1 is a front elevation of aloom having my invention applied thereto,

lFig. 2 is an end elevation of the loom looking in the direction of varrow 2, Fig. 1,

F ig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a port-ion of the detector,

f Fig. 4 is ali-enlarged end elevation of the controller slide looking in the direction of arrow l, Fig. 2,

F 5 shows a horizontal 4section on line 5-5` of'Fig. a looking' in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 6 is a detail of the eccentric control member on the lay 'set for coarse yarn, and

Fig. 7 is a `view similar to Fig. 6 but set for fine yarn. i

To illustrate'my invention I have shown the same as connected to portions of the well- 'known `Knowles head but it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to use i with this type of pattern mechanism butV can bemused whereverv a pattern surface moves in advance of the boxes which it controls. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 1twill be seen that I have 'n provided a loom frame 10 and a lay 11 having drop boxes 12 on the left hand side thereof and a single box 13A on the right-hand end thereof. Said boxes 12 are supported by box rod 14 which is rai-sed by chain y15 and pushed down by vspring 16. The chain 15 is of the usual form and is operated by connections with the well-known Knowles head indicated at K. It is to be understood that the chain 15 is raised vor lowered in accordance with the demands of the pattern chain to vary the position of the active box.

The head motion includes in its construction the frame 17 on which are pivotally mounted as at 18 a plurality of vibrator CJI levers 19 each of which carries the usual vibrator gear indicated at 20. Upper and lower driving cylinders 21 and 22, respectively, are rotated so as to give the vibrator gear opposite movements, the position "of the vibrator levers 19 being determined by the pattern chain 23. The pattern chain is moved by mechanism not' shown and the vibrators are raised and lowered according to the sequence of rolls and sinlrers on the pattern chain. Upstanding from the frame 17 is a horn 24 to the upper end of which is pivotally connected a lever 25 to the outer end of which is adjustably secured a stud 2 6. A rod head 27 mounted on the stud 26 is pivotally connected by a link 28 to a floating lever 29 pivotally connected at the central portion thereof as at 30 to a shorter lever 31. Said lever 31 is pivotally connected as at 32 at the central portion thereof to the horn 24 and said levers 29 and 31 are laterally spaced as indicated in Fig. 2 so that the floating lever engages the front vibrator 19 and the shorter lever 31 engages the rear vibrator, each of said levers being raised `when the corresponding vibrator is raised and being lowered by mechanism to be described hereinafter when the vibrators are depressed. It is to be understood that the pattern chain 23 which moves around shaft 33 will raise the vibrator levers and consequently the levers 29 and 31 before the boxes 12 start to move. This part of the rmechanism may be similar to that shown in Patent No. 1,205,792 to Ryon.

The remainder of the construction shown herein is substantially the same as that shown in my aforesaid application and com prises the detectorl and the lay carried controller for the lay actuated member of the detector. The detector includes a slide 34, Fig. 3., which is movable forwardly Vunder influence of the lay and has pivoted thereto as at 35 a yarn impinging detector 36 held in position by the hooked end 37 of a rod 38 and acted upon to have a counter-clockwise movement by a rod 39 at the time of indication. Ascrew 40 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 is adjustably mounted in a depending arm 41 rigid with the slide 34.

rllhe screw'41 is positioned for engagement with an eccentric 42 mounted on the lay and l movable angularly to engage the screw at different times in the forward movement of the lay depending upon which shuttle is active. Said eccentric has an elongated gudgeon 43 extending to the right and a second gudgeon 44 extending in the opposite direction, said gudgeons being received by bearings 45 having gudgeon 44 has adjustably secured thereto an arm 47 the forward end of which is connected to a cord 48 extending from said arm under a sheave 49 loosely mounted on rocker shaft 50 about which the lay moves. The

caps 46. Thecord extends from the sheave 49 to the lower end of a lever 51 which is pivotally mounted upon a fixed stud 52 and has an upwardly extending larm 53 to which is secureda stud 54 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Secured to the loom frame is astand 55 in which is guided a slide 56 held therein by plates. 57 Said slide has an' offsetV slot 58 therein into which the stud 54 projects. *A spring 59 isy interposed between ythe lower end of the slide and a fixed part of the loom and tends normally to hold the slide down. The upper end of the slide is connected as by a cord 60 to the previouslyl described lever 25. Y The gudgeon 43 of the eccentric 42 has secured thereto a collar 61 between which and the adjacent bearing 45 is a torsion spring 62 which acts to raise the lever 47. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6 the parts are set to cooperate with coarse yarn, the relation of the arm 47 land the eccentric 42 being `that shown in Fig.v 6 where/it will be seen that .the center of the eccentric is above the axis ofthe gudgeon 43 to cause the screw 40 to engage the eccentric at a comparatively early time in the forward beat of the lay. Since the screw engages t-he eccentric at a point above the gudgeon 43 the cord 43 will be held taut. Vihen the boxes change and line yarn becomes active the lever 25 will be lowered to the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 1.v which will permit spring 59 to move the slide 56 downwardly and move leverl 5l to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. Spring 62 will move the eccentric and arm 47 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown invFig. 7, the arm 47 being raised and the center of the eccentric being substantially in horizontal alignment with the axis of the gudgeon 43. As the Vlay vadvances t-he eccentric will engage the screw 40 at a comparatively late time in the beat of the lay. Because of the arrangement of the centers of the eccentric and the gudgeon there will be no tendency to turn Asaid eccentric. i

As previously stated the pattern mechas nism of a loom which determines the se quence in which the shuttles shall become active operates necessarily in advance of the shuttles themselves and in the usual type of loomwthe box indicating mechanism comes to rest some time prior to protection. By the connection shown herein the eccentric 42 will therefore be at rest during the latter Y soV troller and capable of assuming varying degrees of sensitiveness under control of the pattern mechanism of the loom so that the change from one degree to another will be accomplished before the detector member is engaged by the lay carried controller.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

l. In a weft detector for looms having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles carrying wefts of different sizes, pattern mechanism to determine which of said shuttle boxes shall move to active position, a detector capable of assuming different adjusted positions, and connections between the pattern mechanism and said detector to edect the change from one adjusted position to another prior to the movement of the boxes.

2. In a weft detect-or for box looms having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles carrying wefts of dilferent sizes, a detector capable of assuming different adjusting'positions, a lay, a controller for the detector on the lay, pattern mechanism, and connections from the pattern mechanism to the controller to complete the change from one adjusted position to another position before the latter reaches the limit of its forward movement.

3. In a. weft detector for looms having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles supplied with yarns of different sizes, pattern mechanism to determine which of said shuttle boxes shall become active, a detector capable of assuming different adjusted positions, a lay, a lay carried controller to Cooperate with the detector, and connections from the pattern mechanism to the controller to effect a change in the adjustment of said detector before thel controller' moves to cooperating position with respect to the detector.

el. In a detector for drop box looms having a plurality of shuttle boxes and shuttles any one of whichmay become active, said shuttles carrying yarns of varying sizes, a weft detector capable of assuming a plurality of adjusted positions depending upon which shuttle box is active, pattern meoha- H nism, and connections from the pattern mechanism to the detector to eecta change in the latter from one position to another, said connections being independent of the boxes and acting in advance of the movement of said boxes.

5. In a detector for box looms having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles any one of which may become. active, said shuttles carrying yarns .of different sizes, a yarn impinging member for the detector, a lay, alay actuated member for the detector, and a controller on the lay to have Contact with the lay actuated member of the detector, pattern mechanism having a movement while the lay actuated member is out of contact with the controller, and connections from the pattern mechanism to the controller to :move said controller to dili'erent positions dependent upon the position of the shuttle boxes, and to give said controller its complete motion before the lay reaches the forward limit of its movement.

6. In a detector for box looms having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles carrying yarns of different sizes, a lay, a yarn impinging member for the detector, a lay actuated member for the detector comprising an element controlling the yarn impinging member and a second element carried by the lay to cont-act with the first named element at different times in the forward movement of the lay, pattern mechanism having al movement while the lay actuated member is out of contact with the controller, and connections from the pattern mechanism to the lay actuated member to effect a relative change between the elements before said elements contact with each other, said connections and pattern mechanism effecting the changedependent upon the position of the shifting shuttle boxes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

VALTER H. VAKEFIELD. 

